Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 10:08AM Barclays mixes Sim City with Grand Theft Auto to seduce teens.
Barclays and their advertising agency BBH London launched a remarkably well-crafted game last month, to lure teenagers into the world of banking. The bait? A lovely mix between Sim City and Grand Theft Auto that manages to educate without being boring or patronizing.
Direct debits. Loans. Statements. Fraud avoidance. Money management. When you're a teenager, the typical vocabulary of a banker will bore you to death (whether yours or his). Barclays opened the video game design textbook and decided to marry Sim City's money management pyrotechnics with Grand Theft Auto's spicy take on life and prostitutes to reach their young audience.
A tale of rags to riches where a teen comes to the city to "Wall Street" his way through life, through a series of tests and increasing conquest of financial freedom; and end on 56 Sage Street, the epitome of his financial ascent, and the name of the game itself.
Under a luxurious (and at the same time ominous) 6-month window, BBH London partnered with production company B-Reel to bring the idea to digital life. Online. Free. Flash based. Written in XML. Watch the trailer below:
The whole thing was tightly managed and written within Barclays' brand ethic & beliefs: no sleazy night clubs, no car jacking, no guns; but sketchy market traders, night wandering and shipments were on the approved side of the fence.
It also comes with the gamut of social media tricks, including a clever Facebook Connect integration that allow you to save and share your game (while allowing Barclays to collect your information), etc.
The results? 55,000 players in 4 weeks and tons of praise for the balls that Barclays grew. And loads of entertainment for whoever decides to venture on it. I'm glad this accounts as research for my own job as I spent a solid few hours making it into Silvergate.
Play the game here: 56 Sage Street.
Do it, you will not regret the time you waste in it.
Read the full, awesome case study here: BBH Labs case study on 56 Sage Street.
Reader Comments (1)
I have been playing 56 Sage Street, it’s a really fun game. I am working on becoming the next MR C.